RapidMind releases multi-core software

RapidMind has released its Development Platform 3.0 for x86 processors, which it says can provide up to eight-fold performance boosts on quad-core CPUs on some applications. So far, RapidMind has focused on graphics accelerators from AMD, and the Cell processor from IBM. According to eeTimes the company is now hoping the new version will open for the door to much broader markets such as developers of database software.

Ray DePaul, President and Chief Executive Officer of RapidMind, was quoted as saying that end users were finding yesterday's software doesn't run any faster on the new hardware. In some cases, code may even run slower because sometimes these multi-core architectures are based on slower, simpler cores, he said.

Masstech has signed up to use RapidMind to help speed up its real-time video encoding software for high definition video in broadcasting applications.